In the NFL, all that really matters at the end of the day is the result, and the Jaguars got the one they were looking for in their 19-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5.
But which Jaguars position groups shined during the last-second win, and which position groups played a big role in the game being so close to begin with? We break it down with this week's report cards.
Trevor Lawrence was certainly fired up at points during Sunday's game, and it is not hard to see why. For the second week in a row, penalties set Lawrence and the Jaguars up with far too many 2nd- and 3rd-and-longs, which made the offense feel very stop-and-go at times. They did move the ball well largely thanks to Lawrence, though, and he was once again made a handful of throws that it feels like only he is completing. The interception was a bad throw while under pressure, and Lawrence did hold onto the ball a bit too long a few times, but overall this felt like a productive outing from the Jaguars' franchise quarterback.
Grade: B+
Despite not getting a lot of efficient production from the running game on Sunday, it still felt like a strong outing from Bhayshul Tuten. He broke a lot of tackles to turn big losses into, at least, neutral plays. It feels like had the Jaguars trust him a bit more in the red-zone, he could have made a difference when it came to converting those trips into touchdowns. Chris Rodriguez Jr. did not do much with his limited touches, though, and it felt like the worst rushing performance of the year as a whole for the team.
Grade: B-
Parjer Washington continued to do big, big things for the wide receiver room. Washington was one of the most important pieces of the Jaguars' win over the Eagles thanks to both his touchdowns, while the Jaguars were able to get production out of Jakobi Meyers and Josh Cameron when giving them targets. The only real negative plays were the few targets that Brian Thomas Jr. was not able to come down with.
Grade: A-
It was a very productive day from the tight end room, with the Jaguars' duo of Brenton Strange and Nate Boerkircher combining for nine catches for 88 yards on 10 targets. There were a few small miscues, such as a few missed blocks from Boerkircher, a drop from Strange, and Strange leaving his feet near the goal-line. But overall, the Jaguars have gotten much more out of the tight end group as a whole than they did at this same time last season.
Grade: B+
The Jaguars did see Walker Little step up i n a big way against the Eagles, pitching a shutout as a pass-blocker in the second-half. Little has often been far underrated amongst circles that discuss the Jaguars, and they will need him now with Anton Harrison injured. Jalen Carter did Jalen Carter things to the Jaguars, but penalties and the lack of production in the run game are what ultimately pull this score down. Carter is an elite player, but eventually the Jaguars' offensive line needs to prove that they can slow down those types of talents.
Grade: C-
The Jaguars' defensive line had its best game of the season on Sunday, hands down. Not only did the Jaguars limit the Eagles in the running game completely, but they also sent their pass-rush at Jalen Hurts in waves. The Jaguars disrupted the Eagles' passing game and got Hurts to rush throws or make passes off-platform, with Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker making especially big impacts as pass-rushers. It took a team effort, too, with a number of depth players and blitzers at defensive back and linebacker chipping in, but the defensive line led the way.
Grade: A+
Ventrell Miller is genuinely getting better each week. Miller had another stellar performance on Sunday, making several impressive stops both downhill against the run and in the flats as a tackler in space in coverage. Dennis Gardeck and Foyesade Oluokun also made impacts against the run and in the pass-rush, and this is a position group that is simply playing good football right now. Miller looks like a truly ascending player in Anthony Campanile's defense, and this was one of his best games yet.
Grade: A-
There were some good things from the cornerback room; Jarrian Jones had a very effective outing, Jourdan Lewis and Antonio Johnson produced against the run and on blitzes, and as a whole the Jaguars tackled well in the back-end. But a 3rd-and-long pass-interference on Travis Hunter that eventually led to a touchdown dings them, as does some of the miscues such as the explosive 62-yard touchdown allowed to Darius Cooper in the first-half.
Grade: B-
The only thing that keeps this from being an A+ is the fact that the Jaguars did miss an extra point and did allow a bit too much yardage on returns. But at the same time ... come on. Heath Farwell's unit returned a kick for a touchdown before a flag nullified it, then Ameer Abdullah set up Cam Little for his game-winning 57-yard field goal. The Jaguars had the better special teams unit on Sunday, and it is a big reason they won.
Grade: A
This felt like one of the oddest Jaguars games from a management and game-plan standpoint in some time. I do not blame Liam Coen for going for it on fourth downs due to the snap issues with Davon Hamilton and high snaps, but Coen also allowed an extra point attempt that looked like it was missed largely due to the snap. Why not be consistent? Coen also said Monday he took responsibility for a delay of game in the red-zone. Throwing the ball on second down on the four-minute drive was also an odd choice. As for the defense, I thought Anthony Campanile made great adjustments in second-half, but the first-half plan of man-blitzes was always a bad idea against Jalen Hurts, and he made them pay for it.
Grade: C-
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/onsi as Jaguars Report Card: Grades From Eagles Win Vary From Concerning to Gold Stars .
